West Ham United will travel to Greece to take on Olympiacos in a crucial Europa League match on Thursday evening.
A victory for West Ham would bring them closer to qualifying for the knockout stages, while a defeat would make the race for progression from Group A more challenging.
Match Preview
Manager David Moyes has emphasized that West Ham’s primary focus is the Premier League, aiming to compete for a top-six finish.
However, their recent form in England’s top flight, with only one win in five matches, means they must also give their all in Europe to establish themselves as regular contenders in the competition.
Following a 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa, where Moyes admitted his team was outclassed, West Ham currently sits in ninth place in the Premier League, six points behind the top four.
On a positive note, their continental campaign has started impressively, with comeback victories against Backa Topola and Freiburg, considered their toughest opponent on paper.
One area of concern for Moyes is West Ham’s tendency to concede goals immediately after half-time.
Eliminating this vulnerability will be crucial for their chances of securing a spot in the last-16.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos suffered their only defeat of the season against Freiburg, losing 3-2 at home.
However, they currently lead the Greek top flight with a two-point advantage and a game in hand, having collected 19 points from a possible 21.
Olympiacos’ recent match against Panathinaikos was abandoned due to crowd trouble caused by a firework hitting an away player.
They will be eager to avoid any further disruptions when they face West Ham.
With a 2-2 draw against Backa Topola, where Olympiacos squandered a 2-0 lead, manager Diego Martinez knows his team must deliver against the Premier League side.
Both teams have shown their attacking prowess, with a total of 14 goals scored in Olympiacos’ last 410 minutes of football in all competitions.
This highlights the threat they pose to West Ham, who are the reigning Europa Conference League champions.
Team News:
Olympiacos will be without defender Andreas Ndoj due to a one-match ban, while Jackson Porozo and Francisco Ortega are potential replacements.
Daniel Podence, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, is expected to start on the left wing after scoring four goals since joining the club.
West Ham may field a stronger European lineup than usual, with Lukasz Fabianski likely to start as the goalkeeper.
Mohammed Kudus is expected to feature in the final third, and Michail Antonio could lead the attack instead of Jarrod Bowen.
Tomas Soucek may replace Edson Alvarez in midfield.
Predicted Lineups:
Olympiacos:
Paschalakis;
Rodinei, Betsos, Porozo, Quini;
Camara, Hezze;
Masouras, Fortounis, Podence;
El Kaabi
West Ham United:
Fabianski;
Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Kehrer;
Soucek, Ward-Prowse;
Kudus, Fornals, Benrahma;
Antonio
Prediction:
We predict a tight contest, with West Ham having the potential to face a difficult challenge against Olympiacos on their home turf.
However, we believe that the Premier League outfit will do enough to secure a 2-1 victory over their opponents.
